Studio Outside Travels - Experiencing Landscape Architecture Abroad

I had the opportunity to sit down with Chenyan Zhu, one of our landscape architecture interns, and learn more about her study abroad trip through the Robert Reich School of Architecture at Louisiana State University. Over the course of ten days, students travelled to France and Germany to gain insight into how culture and the environment influence design. Spearheaded by Professor Max Conrad and Associate Director Haley Blakeman, students observed gardens, architecture, waterfronts, and the fascinating history of Paris, France, and Berlin and Hamburg, Germany.

Did you see any great examples of green design/ sustainable landscape?

The Promenade Plantee in Paris, France, is a phenomenal example of repurposing disused infrastructure into a public space that serves as a hub for social and community engagement.

“We walked along the Promenade Plantee, which sits 10 meters above the street. It’s a free, magical, scenic three-mile stroll. It was the world’s first elevated park walkway converted from an abandoned railway line. Now, the park is thriving and is full of pedestrians and cyclists! The elevated walkway creates a unique perspective of the city and allows visitors to walk through a green space separated from the hustle and bustle of the streets below.” 

The transformation of the abandoned 19th century Vincennes railway tracks into a green corridor revitalized the space and brought back its social, cultural, and economic value. The suspended world of roses, lavender, ivy vines, small trees, shrubbery, arbors, and pools of water provides visitors with a peaceful retreat from Paris's concrete jungle. The green corridor, which runs through the 12th Arrondissement, not only provides a beautiful and tranquil space but also serves as a crucial connection between East Paris and the city center. This magical garden provides a reprieve from Paris’s concrete jungle which consists of only 10% parkland. 

East Paris, historically known as the poorest section of the city, underwent significant transformation through urban modernization. The revitalization of the cityscape contributed to the restoration of East Parisian neighborhoods by bringing economic prosperity and promoting the expansion of commercial and residential buildings. The Promenade is home to the Viaduc des Arts, a cultural area of shops, restaurants, galleries, et., located in archways underneath the old railroad tracks. It now is a popular destination that serves as a hub for community engagement, cultural events, and commerce. The Viaduc des Arts and the Promenade improved the overall living standards and quality of life in East Paris.

How does landscape architecture in France differ from landscape architecture in other parts of the world in terms of design principles or cultural influences?

Walking through the French gardens, city streets, and along the cobble-stone pathways, it is evident that the landscape is influenced by the culture and nature of the environment, drawing inspiration from centuries old design principles.            

Chenyan explores the inside of the Palace of Versailles.

“While in Paris, we visited one of the most famous gardens in the world – the Garden of Versailles. We spent the day observing the design techniques used. The French formal style, characterized by symmetrical patterns, intricate geometrical shapes, well-manicured lawns, and the integration of statues, was nothing short of beautiful. However, it can be very crowded since the garden is a famous tourist destination, especially during the peak seasons. The vastness of the grounds can make it difficult to explore everything in a day!”  

Europe is no stranger to designing unique, luscious gardens; the Garden of Versailles has a long-standing history dating back to 1661 when King Louis XIV commissioned André Le Nôtre to arrange and maintain it. Le Nôtre, the “King of Gardeners,” displayed his mastery over nature by transforming the meadows and marshy lands of the grounds into a well-ordered design, leveling the ground, digging pools of water, and planting trees transported from regions across France. Little did he know that the Garden of Versailles would set the precedent of French formal gardens, inspiring the design of many across Europe. 

Le Nôtre elevated and reimagined the norms of the time by contrasting the symmetrical straight lines with elements of water, secret gardens, the juxtaposition of light, topiary art, and an abundance of sculptures. He designed the garden using strict lines to maintain order and to define neat and organized spaces. Trellises and allées created walls of greenery that flowed into surprise “rooms” of gardens, groves, or lawns. These secluded features are often adorned with statues and fountains, creating a whimsical ambience that transports visitors to a wonderous setting.

The Garden of Versailles is characterized by its order, symmetry, and neat and defined spaces.

How did you experience the integration of cultural arts and landscape architecture?

Chenyan’s visit to Parc la Villette in Paris, France, provided a compelling illustration of how cultural programming and the environment can work together to foster cultural diversity and identity. 

“As our group walked through the park, we noticed pieces of a large bicycle buried in the ground- handlebars, a pedal, and part of a wheel. The park’s modern design elements have given me lots of inspiration. Its brightly colored structures, such as the red pavilions and the orange cubes, provide a striking contrast to the surrounding greenery, creating a visually engaging experience.”

The buried bicycle and a characteristic red folly are displayed here in Parc la Villette.

Parc la Villette, once home to an old slaughterhouse, was transformed into an artistic and urban park to promote creativity and activity. One of the park’s most notable features is the placement of red follies throughout the area, which creates an interactive and lively atmosphere. The park also promotes artistic practices by organizing educational projects for schools and social groups during the academic year. Many cultural buildings are located within the parks’ grounds, such as the National Conservatory of Music and Dance in Paris, the City of Music, the City of Science and Industry, etc., to animate and educate the public.

Can you provide an example of how landscape infrastructure was implemented in Europe?

Chenyan enjoys a nice day boating on the Elbe River.

“During our stay in Hamburg, Germany, we had the opportunity to experience the diverse landscape infrastructure through various modes of transportation, including boating on the Elbe River, walking through the streets, enjoying cafes, and touring the Niederhaffen River Promenade.” 

The Niederhaffen River Promenade is a remarkable integrated landscape infrastructure project that transformed the Elbe River’s flood-prone area into a beautiful and functional space. Historically, the Elbe River hindered modernization due to the high levels of water and floods that characterized the riverfront. In 1962, a series of severe floods destroyed the surrounding residences and facilities, leading to the development of a flood barrier in 1964.

Recent inspections determined that the flood barrier needed reinforcements to combat the rising water levels. In 2019, the development of the Nierdaffen River Promenade replaced the old flood protection system. The promenade sits atop the flood protection barrier, connecting the riverfront to various city districts while providing advanced hydraulics to protect the area from storm surges. It is designed to integrate into the surrounding landscape and is lined with shops, restaurants, and pedestrian crossings and walkways, creating a welcoming environment that encourages people to spend time in the area. The project demonstrates how landscape infrastructure can be integrated into urban development, resulting in a charming, functional, and sustainable space for people to enjoy.

How has this experience helped you in your career as a landscape designer?

“This Study abroad trip exposed me to new ideas, design styles, and approaches to landscaping; and broadened my design knowledge and skill. Visiting and studying historic gardens, landscapes, and parks cultivated a deeper understanding of design, culture, and communication that enhances my work.”

For landscape designers, having first-hand experience of the physical and cultural environments is invaluable when it comes to designing a space. Different countries and regions have their unique set of beliefs, customs, and cultural norms that influence how people interact and resonate with their surroundings.

What’s stopping you from exploring new and unique places? Embrace the adventure, the world is waiting for you to discover it.

Heralding Spring - Migratory Birds, Prairie Rivers, & Wildlife Immersion

“On motionless wing they emerge from the lifting mists, sweep a final arc of sky, and settle in clangorous descending spirals to their feeding grounds. A new day has begun on the crane marsh.” ― Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

For the past eight years, Studio Outside has partnered with the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary in Central Nebraska, leading conservation efforts to protect and restore Platte River ecologies. This quiet prairie river hosts one of North America’s last remaining Sandhill Crane migration spectacles and Studio Outside has had the privilege of spearheading three different but connected projects for this delicate ecosystem and its stewards.

Flying north

Left: Libby Arterburn; Center: Tary Arterburn; Right: Mia Baker

In mid-March, three Outsiders traveled to the Rowe Sanctuary to witness the majestic bird migration firsthand. Part research, part fun — Mia, Tary, and Libby went out in 30-degree weather for a 6 AM reservation in the bird blinds. Before viewing the Cranes, visitors had to view an informational video on proper conduct and expectations. They were then led to a Discovery Station where only red lights were allowed so as not to disturb the birds. They were told to “walk like a deer” to shuffle in a way that would not bother nearby nesting cranes. By about 6:45 AM they were getting settled into the viewing blind.

To bear witness to the Sandhill Crane migration along the Platte River is to have a spiritual experience. Every year, over a million Sandhill Cranes descend on the river within a six-week span, with over a quarter of a million birds present at any one time. They sleep in the river at night, leaving the marsh during the day to search for food in nearby fields. They eat as much as 20 percent of their body weight during their short stay in Nebraska. At dusk and dawn, the birds put on a show. They are often heard before they’re seen - their birdsong is described as “a long, rolling trumpet sound.” Cranes in search of a mate put on elaborate dances. They stretch their wings, pump their heads, bow, and leap into the air in a graceful and energetic dance to attract a partner. When they do find a companion, cranes mate for life.

The magic of this show is largely in knowing these birds have been making this same trip since before indigenous people walked the Great Plains. It is thought that cranes are the oldest known surviving bird on Earth, with a crane fossil found in Nebraska estimated to be 10 million years old. This convergence of cranes is not a happenstance, it was written into their spirits millennia ago. To glimpse this moment is to bear witness to our collective origin story.

“It was neat to look up at the mass of cranes and think about how they have been flying to the same 50 miles of river for thousands of years, generation after generation. It’s in their DNA. Reflecting on this idea was truly grounding. I remembered how small we are as little humans but also how impactful we can be collectively, for better or for worse.” – Mia Baker

A Migratory bird sanctuary

At this intersection of prairie river and migrating birds, Audubon is leading conservation efforts to protect and restore Platte River ecosystems. Our demands on this river have dramatically changed the habitat. The historic “mile-wide” tree-barren river flanked with wet meadows and prairie grasses is today only recaptured in small sections through the management efforts of Audubon and other conservation organizations, leaving most of the river now unusable for the cranes and many other native species.

Established as the first protected land for Sandhill Cranes on the Platte River in 1974, Audubon established the sanctuary through the purchase of 764 acres of habitat in and along the river. In those days, one part-time sanctuary manager and a handful of volunteers cleared river islands overgrown with tree seedlings with push mowers and hand sickles. In the spring, they led small groups of bird enthusiasts to view cranes on the river from behind strategically placed bales of straw.

Flash forward to today, and the Globally-Important Bird Area, now known as the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center at Rowe Sanctuary, is a world-renowned wildlife viewing destination. Audubon protects and manages more than 2,400 acres of habitat along the river, attracting an average of 20,000 visitors annually, many visiting during the spring crane migration.

designing for nature education

In 2015, Studio Outside partnered with the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center to develop a master plan for the Rowe property. Having acquired additional land, the organization realized the need for a long-term strategic master plan to guide future initiatives regarding site and facility investment. Through a week-long workshop, stakeholders identified a set of goals and a planning vision to serve as a framework to guide the next 50 years. Ultimately, three primary concepts informed the development of the physical master plan:

• Preservation of the Resource: Habitat protection and restoration

• Year-Round Destination: Broadening visitor opportunities to all seasons

• Consolidation: A smaller central developed footprint

The site, broken into three zones, creates a gradient of development and preservation. Ranging from the Developed Core, an Interpretive Zone, and a Sanctuary/Preserve only open to guided tours.

Since the primary purpose of this center is to preserve the resource as a habitat for migratory birds, the Developed Core is the smallest zone and consists of the areas with the most foot traffic and highest levels of visitor use. Here visitors begin their educational journey. A prime crane-viewing spot, visitors can witness the majestic bird migration while also engaging with native habitat through interpretive signage. Practices such as pollinator plantings, native prairie plantings, invasive species management, use of bioswales in parking areas, and selective tree removal are all at play.

Interpretive Zones prioritize education and immersive experiences. Trails lead to wildlife-viewing blinds and beyond, bringing visitors out into the landscape to experience woodland, prairie, and water habitats. The signature experience at Iain Nicolson Audubon Center is the evening or morning crane viewing excursion to one of the wildlife blinds on the Platte River. The design of new Discovery Stations in 2018 brought about opportunities to expand to year-round programming. The architecture of these new structures had to be nimble yet weather tight. Temperatures are often below freezing during the 6-weeks of nesting, and changing river levels can cause the birds to choose new roost points each season. The four Discovery Stations designed by Lake Flato Architects enable the Rowe Center to expand its offerings and welcome visitors from around the world as birds and people alike flock to this sanctuary on the prairie.

Least-developed, yet carefully managed, the Sanctuary/Preserve zone consists of 1800 acres of land devoted to wildlife habitat. Trails and built structures are nowhere to be found here, but back-country guided tours lead visitors through the grasses. Although the landscape in Central Nebraska is largely flat, a mere 12-inch change in elevation near the Platte River can signify the presence of an entirely different plant community. A transect across the historic mile-wide riverbed reveals a nuanced topography. Dry prairie turns to wet meadow, then transitions to riparian wetland before becoming the Platte River. Beyond the boundaries of the Habitat Sanctuary agricultural land spreads to the horizon. While the overly cultivated farmland appears in stark contrast to the native wilderness of the Rowe Center, this relationship plays an important role in the migratory bird flight path. The cranes seek the waste corn and agricultural spoils as a food source during their stay here each spring. Audubon maintenance practices such as a rotation of haying strategy, resting, and prescribed burns foster the spring crane habitat while also serving as an interpretive program devised to teach visitors about the year-round life cycle of the land and how those agricultural practices create the setting for the spring migration phenomenon to occur.

Shortly after publishing the Master Plan, the Iain Nicolson Audubon Center was ready to move forward with construction. In 2016, Studio Outside began looking at how to make this vision a built reality. A site plan for the Developed Core area explored locations for pedestrian paths and vehicular access. Construction of the full master plan is expected to start in May 2023, at the end of the year’s bird migration season.

“Seeing the sandhill crane migration along the frozen Platte reminded me of how delicate but resilient our interconnected systems really are… Since I have been recently working on the construction documentation for the Iain Nicholson re-design project, it was exciting to experience the reason why Rowe Sanctuary exists, and the reason for expansion and re-design.” – Mia Baker